Sakuragaoka High School
The |Shiritsu Sakuragaoka Joshi Koutou Gakkou}}, sometimes abbreviated as |Sakura Kou}} is a fictional Japanese high school and the main setting of the series K-ON!. About Like other high schools in Japan, the Sakuragaoka High School is divided into three year groups of students and represents the last stage of Japan's education via public schools. The students are taught in several complex subjects to be able to attend the country's universities afterwards. Structure and Organisation The Sakura High is an all-girl school led by its headmaster Yoji Okiyama. The school classes are structured with numbers that are attached to the year group number (first year classes start with a "1", second year ones with a "2" and third year ones with a "3"). There are five classes per year group with averagely 30-40 students. The students are usually assigned to their classes with the principle of contingency. The results are published on large boards in the hallway at the start of each school year. The students, per the usual Japanese school year structure, are 15 years old when starting as the school's freshmen. Over time, when becoming the school's seniors, they have to be adressed as "senpai" by the younger students. Students are 18 years old when graduating. The students have to wear a school uniform. The uniform consists of a navy blue blazer, a solid white buttoned shirt (under the blazer), a colored ribbon, a light steel blue skirt, black stockings (sometimes long white socks) and maroon shoes. The summer uniform replaces the blazer with a beige vest. The subject physical education requires a tracksuit (sport jacket with long pants) with white striped brims, a white shirt with colored endings for the summer semester and white sports shoes. The school features three colours (blue, red and green), each for one year group. The colour of the uniform's ribbon, the tip of the indoor shoes and the tracksuit depends on the year group the related student belongs to. Aside from the uniform, the students are also equipped with blue school bags which can be decorated to a certain degree. The subjects cover the main subject with a higher difficulty. Classes are held by the specialized teachers. Sometimes, instead of lessons, the students are tasked to learn on their own in the study halls. Eventually, the students have to undergo several exam periods, where the subjects are tested. In the last year, the difficulty rises immensely. During the exam periods, club activities are prohibited. Students who fail the tests have the chance to correct their mistakes by attending an make-up test. If they fail it as well, they are banned from club activities. Even though the school is only accessible for female students, male teachers are part of the school's teacher faculty as well. Aside from teaching, the teachers are also tasked with other organisational duties like helping school clubs as an adviser or planning the school marathon. The obverse of the teacher faculty is the student council, which voluntarily helps the school organise certain subjects. The council is led by its president which is also the student representative in person. The school has certain rituals. At the start of each school year, the students assemble in the auditorium to sing the school anthem. Once a year, the school organises a school marathon where every student has to participate. At the end of summer, the school also hosts a school festival, where each class and club has the ability to deliver a performance of any kind. The school is open for guests during the festival. At the end of each school year, the seniors graduate unless they don't repeat the last year. The graduation ceremony is held at the auditorium. Before the student representative presents the valedictory, each senior gets decorated with a cherry blossom, handed over by a second-year student. Like other Japanese schools, the Sakura High offers its students to gather together in clubs. The topic of a club can be anything possible, be it about a certain kind of sports, about music or about mysteries. The clubs have to be officially accepted by the faculty office to be listed by the student council. Each club needs a president and a teacher as an adviser. The school offers each club a budget and the opportunity to hold activities after the lessons have ended. However, the school topics are still superior to club activities. Some clubs differ from the others in their main purpose. An example would be the Mio Akiyama Fan Club, which is about the fandom of a certain person. Known Clubs * Abacus Club * Art Club * Athletics Club * Badminton Club * Basketball Club * Baton Club * Brass Band * Choir Club * Comedy Study Group * Drama Club * Ikebana Club * Football Club * Gardening Club * Go Club * Horror Study Group * Jazz Research Department * Judo Club * Karate Club * Kendo Club * Lacrosse Club * Light Music Club * Literature Club * Magic Club * Mio Akiyama Fan Club * Movie Research Department * Newspaper Club * Occult Club * Othello Club * Photography Club * Shigin Club * Softball Club * Swimming Club * Table Tennis Club * Green Tea Ceremony Club * Tennis Club * Volleyball Club Building The Sakura High is a large building with two main floors and a third one that contains the music room and an entrance to the roof. Several cherry blossom trees can be seen throughout the school grounds, hence the school's name. In front of the main entrance, a fountain with a statue of a dolphin and two children is placed. Several other statues can be seen on the school grounds, the most prominent of them is the bust of a man, probably the school founder. The school's stairs are decorated with small statues of turtles. The school also has a library, a gymnasium and an auditorium. Gallery Sakura High full.png|A front view of the school. Sakura High in the rain.png|The school during the rainy season. Principal-Bust.png|The bust in front of the door. Sakura High guardhouse.png|The school's guardhouse. Sakura High shoe cabinets.png|The entrance hall with the shoe cabinets. Sakura High entrance hall.png|The entrance hall with the boards that tell about the class deployment. Sakura High after school.png|Students leave after classes have ended. Yui under cherry trees.png|Yui Hirasawa standing under the cherry blossom trees that gave the school its name. Sakura High floor.png|A floor inside of the school. Sakura High stairs.png|The stairs that lead up to the music room, decorated with statues of turtles. Sakura High cafeteria.png|The school's cafeteria. Sakura High kitchen.png|The school's kitchen. Sakura High auditorium.png|The school's auditorium. Sakura High's Main building.png|The auditorium seen from a closer point. Sakura High auditorium from inside.png|The inside of the auditorium. Sakura High auditorium from inside 2.png|The inside of the auditorium during an entrance ceremony. Sakura High auditorium hallway.png|The hallway that leads to the auditorium. Sakura High library.png|The school's library. Sakura High gym.png|The school's gymnasium. Sakura High gym from inside.png|The inside of the gym. Sakura High sports ground.png|The school's sports ground. Sakura High sports ground 2.png|The school's sports ground during physical education. Sakura High grassland.png|The grassland around the school, used by sport clubs. Ritsu, Mio and Mugi on the roof.png|Ritsu Tainaka, Tsumugi Kotobuki and Mio Akiyama on the school's roof. Sawako on Sakura High's roof.png|Sawako Yamanaka on the school's roof with the main building in the background. Sakura High bathroom.png|A bathroom. Music Room.png|Ritsu Tainaka and Mio Akiyama waiting in the school's music room. The LMC girls in the home ec room.png|Ritsu Tainaka, Mio Akiyama, Yui Hirasawa and Tsumugi Kotobuki inside of the home ec room. Sakura High art room.png|The school's art room. Light Music Club Room.png|The room of the Light Music Club. Jazz Club Room.png|The room of the Jazz Club. Everybody in the faculty office.png|Sawako Yamanaka with her students inside of the teacher faculty office. Nodoka in the student council room.png|Nodoka Manabe inside of the Student Council room. Club president meeting.png|The Student Council Room during a club president meeting. Class 1-3 during a test.png|A first-year classroom. Second year classroom.png|A second-year classroom. Class 3-2 during study hall.png|A third-year classroom. Empty class 3-2 room.png|An empty third-year classroom. First school festival.png|The school during a school festival. First school festival full.png|The festival seen from above. Sakura High auditorium during the festival.png|The auditorium during the festival. Sakura High floor during the festival.png|The inside of the school during a festival. Classroom during the school festival.png|A classroom during the festival. Trivia *The school is based, both externally and internally, on the old Toyosato Elementary School building, which was built in 1937 and used until 2004 when the school moved to a new building, and the existing building was preserved at the request of the town's residents. Even the bronze tortoise and hare seen on the staircases of Sakuragaoka are a feature of the real school as well. *On July 27th, 2010 Japan Post released a postage stamp set of Toyosato Elementary. The pictures clearly reference K-ON!, mainly featuring locations often seen in the show, including a table set with sweets, tea, a music stand, and even Azusa's cat ears, and another featuring a Gibson Les Paul in heritage cherry sunburst, just like Yui's beloved "Giita". *The bust in front of the school is often decorated with different hats or glasses, appearing as a running gag. References Category:Locations